


the doll

by Legendawson



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Victorian Period, mention of anti ezria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 08:10:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19970803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Legendawson/pseuds/Legendawson
Summary: Aria Montgomery and Mona Vanderwaal have two things in common: they both hate each other and they both love dolls. shenanigans ensue.





	the doll

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for english class and it was supposed to be set in the Victorian period but there are some mistakes in that timeline, but pll has major timeline issues so forgive me!

The Old Curiosity Shop was busy that night. It simultaneously smelled like sweat and strong perfume. I was in the section that held toys and I was examining a doll, only for it to be ripped out of my hand by Mona Vanderwaal. I had a fascination with dolls and so did Mona, this is as far as our similarities went. She and I were somewhat enemies but we enjoyed messing with each other so much that some may call us friends.  
“Aria, fancy seeing you here,” Mona greeted.  
“Give me the doll,” I demanded, moving to rip it out of her hands.  
“Not so fast,” Mona said, holding the doll tighter.   
“What do you want, Mona?” I asked.  
“I, Mona Vanderwaal, have the power to make Aria Montgomery do whatever I please,” Mona said with amazement.  
“You absolutely do not!” I protested.  
Mona laughed, “Take the doll. Knowing I have power is enough for me.”   
I opened my mouth to protest but she was already walking away from me.   
After buying the doll, I walked outside into the sweltering heat and a disgusting smell flooded my nostrils. I walked up to my Hansom Cab, only to see that the horse had pooped. I plugged my nose and then took my doll out of the bag and used the bag to pick up the poop. Disgusted and annoyed, I got into the carriage with a plan to take a shower when I got home.   
I arrived home to hear my brother, Mike, who lived with me, yelling into the  
phone and then slamming it. I knew who was on the phone but I asked him anyway.  
“Who was that?” I asked.  
“Who do you think?” Mike said sarcastically.   
I let the answer sadly fall from my lips, “Father.”  
I’d been married once. Until my boss ‘seduced’ me, promised to love me, promised to give me a better life, promised I’d never go hungry again and it worked like a charm. I was an adulterer so I was looked down upon and struggled to be respected while my boss got no consequences whatsoever. My life was a nightmare. My father hated me for what I’d done and was furious that Mike would help support me after that. It was oddly the only thing Mona never mocked me for.   
Seeing my face, Mike changed the subject, “Do you want to go to the theatre?”  
I nodded, “Sounds good.”  
The theatre was dark, strongly smelled of popcorn, and people were pushing  
through the crowd to find their friends. Mike was buying tickets when I ran into Mona again.   
“We meet again,” Mona said.  
“Hi, Mona,” I greeted annoyingly.   
“Your dress is very…” Mona trailed off.  
“A few weeks ago I bought a sewing machine. I sewed this myself,” I explained.  
“Oh so that’s why all your clothes are so….unique,” Mona commented.  
“Shove it, Mona,” I barked back.   
“Anyway, I’m surprised that you didn’t get a typewriter. You love writing right?” Mona asked.   
“Yes I do love writing but I could only afford either the sewing machine or the typewriter and I chose the sewing machine,” I answered.  
“Well I got a typewriter. It’s absolutely marvelous! You should come use it sometime!” Mona exclaimed.   
I rolled my eyes, “Yeah right.”  
“Suit yourself,” Mona said as she walked away.   
Then Mike was walking back towards me with tickets in his hands.  
“What’s wrong with your face?” He asked.  
“What’s wrong with your mouth?” I shot back.   
Mike laughed, “Was it Mona?”  
“Who else?” I answered.   
After that we walked into the theatre and found our seats. The show was great but it was over too soon.  
When we got home the phone was ringing again. Mike told me not to answer it  
because it was probably our dad. We ignored the phone and I went upstairs to go to bed. When I got into my room, I picked up the doll I had gotten the other day and admired it. I laid down into my bed and set my doll down next to me.   
I woke up to a funny smell, an uncomfortable bed, and a pounding in my head.  
When I opened eyes, it was to a hospital room and Mike sleeping in the chair beside me. I anxiously shook him awake to find out what happened.   
“Why am I in the hospital and why does my head feel like someone hit me over the head with typewriter?” I asked with my voice full of panic.  
“Your doll you got the other day, it exploded!” Mike exclaimed.   
I brought my hand up to my head to feel my wound, but Mike pulled my hand away before I could.  
“Don’t mess with it,” He ordered.  
“I know what happened. Mona did this! She wanted this doll but I got it,” I said all of a sudden.   
Mike shrugged, “I don’t know. The doctors said they’ve gotten reports of this happening before.”  
“Mona must be going around putting explosives in every doll in town!” I exclaimed.  
“That’s nuts,” He said, looking at me like I was crazy.  
“No it’s not! It makes so much sense!” I continued.   
“I think you need to rest your head before it explodes like your doll did,” He said, looking at me with concern.  
“I’m making valid points here and you’re ignoring me,” I answered.   
“You really think Mona would go this far?” He asked, finally indulging me.   
“She’s a wild card and you know it,” I said.  
Then a nurse knocked and then walked in with a food tray and set it on my table.   
“Eat it and maybe you’ll calm down,” Mike suggested.  
“I am calm!” I exclaimed, but listened to him anyway.   
I took a bite of my food, only to spit it back up when I recognized it as gruel, which anyone with a brain knew to avoid.   
Later, after taking a nap, I heard knocking on the door to my hospital room and  
a familiar voice ringing through it.  
“Knock knock!” Mona sang as she popped her head in.  
“What do you want?” I asked.   
“No need to be grumpy! A little birdy told me about the terrible food you’ve been eating in here so I made you up Victoria sponge cake and some hotch potch,” Mona said.  
“Did you poison the food just like you put explosives in my doll?” I snapped.  
“As much as I’d like to take credit for that, I can’t. Other girls dolls and combs have randomly been exploding and I doubt that some mastermind is running around doing that. My theory is that the type of plastic used to make these things is very combustible,” Mona answered.  
“How did you even figure that out?” I asked.   
Mona laughed, “I’m a genius, remember?”  
I laughed too, “Yes you are.”  
“...So the food?” I asked.  
Mona hesitated, “Not poisoned. If I had poisoned it, the only cure would be kissing me.”  
“You know you could’ve just told me you liked me instead of torturing me,” I said.  
Mona then leaned forward and kissed me and I returned the kiss. When she pulled away, I was speechless. Still in a daze from the kiss and unsure of what to say, I uttered out a random question.  
“When did you find time to make this food? Don’t you have to work as a servant?” I asked.  
“You’re more important,” Mona answered.  
“But we’re redundant women, you probably shouldn’t risk looking bad,” I warned.  
“God, you say redundant women like it’s a disease! We’re redundant women and we should take pride in that,” Mona said with confidence.   
“I really doubt that being unmarried women is something to be proud of,” I argued.   
“We should be proud. Look at all we’ve accomplished without a husband,” Mona pointed out.  
“But we’re all alone. That gets really lonely,” I noted.  
“We’re not alone, we have each other now,” Mona cooed.   
I smiled genuinely for the first time in awhile, “We do.”  
Then I grabbed Mona’s hand and interlocked our fingers. I don’t know if it was the medicine, or Mona next to me, but I felt a lot better about everything. My life had gotten a little brighter and a little warmer.


End file.
